Colchester United have appointed Southend United U23s coach Dave Huzzey as their new Academy Manager.
Dave fills the role vacated by Jon De Souza after Jon's move to become Director of Performance in the summer.
And Jon is pleased to get Dave on board, saying: "We had a wide range of candidates from a variety of backgrounds and Dave was our chosen candidate after impressing us at interview.
"We have changed the structure of roles in the academy over the summer, so Dave will join as Academy Manager and be supported by James McFarlane, who will take up the Assistant Academy Manager role.
"Dave has spent seven or eight years working with the U18s and U23s at Southend and has a strong track record of helping players make that transition from youth football into the first team.
"Southend have had a successful record in that regard in recent years, and recently saw Dru Yearwood, an Academy product, make a big move to Brentford. He is one of a number of players to have done well for Southend's first team and Dave has played his part in that during his time at the club."
Starting on September 9th, Dave will oversee the whole of the club's Academy, including particular focus on the players from U17s through to the U23s.
James will look after the younger age groups, allowing both men to give quality time to all areas of the Academy.